← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 375 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 280 g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 120 ml ice-cold water
• 1.1 kg pitted sour cherries (fresh or frozen)
• 175 g Sugar
• 40 g Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp Almond extract
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 tbsp Butter, diced
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for glazing
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Method

1. For the crust, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Rub or pulse in the cold butter until it looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces. Drizzle in the ice water, mixing, until the dough holds together when squeezed. Divide in two, flatten into discs, wrap and chill for 1 hour.
2. Toss the cherries with the sugar, cornflour, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Let stand while you roll the pastry.
3. Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) with a baking tray on the lowest rack. Roll one disc into a 30 cm round and line a 23 cm pie dish, leaving the overhang.
4. Pour in the filling and its juices and dot with the butter. Roll the second disc and cut into 2.5 cm strips; weave them into a lattice on top. Trim, fold the edges under and crimp.
5. Brush the lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill for 15 min while the oven finishes heating.
6. Bake on the hot tray for 20 min, then lower the oven to 190°C (375°F) and bake for 45–50 min more, until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles thickly through the lattice. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too fast.
7. Cool on a rack for at least 3 hours so the filling can set before slicing.

Tips

• Using sweet cherries? Cut the sugar to 100 g and add 1 extra tbsp lemon juice.
• The filling only sets once it bubbles in the centre, so don’t pull the pie too early.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Once Upon a Chef Love and Lemons King Arthur Baking